Recorded by Alice Taff and Donna MacAlpine. Transcribed and translated by Edna Deacon and Donna MacAlpine, and Alice Taff. {false start}, (added for clarification), [note]

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Deg yitots'i xiye tr'iyila.

Then she cleaned the outside (removing grass, etc.).

Yichox xiyił tr'igila ts'in'.

The stomach, she took it out (gutting it).

Xidigał yixidenek.

Finally she finished it all.

"Ngi'egh gil

"Outside now

dughi tr'adiłdla' iy," yiłne.

we're going to hang them out," she said.

Vits'i isne yitots'i,

I'm helping her then,

niłayiłchith

tying them two-by-two together

tl'eł axa.

with string.

"Viggin dhiggingh tux getiy ngizrenh xiyan iy," siłne.

"When they're half-dried these are delicious," she says to me.

"Vughi yixi dithijit tux," yiłne.

"Under it we have to keep smoke going," she tells me.

Yuxudz yitots'i, dughi tr'ighidelo.

All of them then, we hung them up.

Yitotl'ogh yughi yixi diłjit.

Afterwards she makes a smudge fire under it.

Iłt'e yitots'i viyił tri'diniyh.

Always we have to mind it.

Xatthang gitri'dalyayh ts'in'.

We keep putting wood in (the fire).

Gho yixidithijit ts'in'.

Underneath it keeps smoking.

(We) smoked the muskrat for 2 days and it was ready to, ready to cook.

Nodi dranh yitots'i vughi yix

For two days under it

tr'ixiditljit xingo.

we keep the smudge going meanwhile.

"Agide," yiłne sito',

"There," says my father,

"Ngo,

"Well,

xiłts'in' oxo gituxłvatr," ne.

for the evening meal you'll cook it," he says.

Nigighelo yitots'i dina ts'in'.

He took some down then for us.

Viyegitr'iłvatr xiyił,

And a pot,

tthaq,

open fire,

xo yaghideqonh, singonh,

(the food) in the pot, my mother,

te, te yighengił ts'in'.

water, water she poured in it. [The food in the pot is hung over the open fire.]

Yitots'i,

And then,

vichingadh yitots'i niłto'it'oth.

muskrats then, she is cutting into pieces.

Viye yighelo.

She put it in.

Dina oxo {gil, gi'itl} gitlvatr yitots'in'.

For us she cooked it then.

Nalyagh yił, yitux nelo.

And potatoes, she mixed them in.

Getiy liniyh!

Really tasty!

Nalyagh yił tr'ihonh tux.

With potatoes mixed in we eat it.

That muskrats, after it was smoked for two days my father said it's ready to cook now. It is just right smoked he told us, so he took some down and my mom start cutting it up. She already had water heating up over the campfire. She had her pot in there and she cut it up and put it in there and then she add that potatoes to it. She carry box of potatoes to spring camp. She had to keep fire going all the time so it wouldn't freeze, along with that potatoes.

And when you're telling it in English and in Indian way it lasts long time. But I don't know any other English. I'm just telling my life story.

So how far we were now? Oh, a month I guess, and then when we got back we had to go to school until school was out, for two years because that's our livelihood. We didn't have no welfare or anything, no foodstamps, no nothing. We had to live off the land. My father would haul moosehead up to the spring camp to... what they got last fall and it's frozen all winter long and they had to skin it up there and my mom would ah, she would skin it and then she'll cook that whole moosehead. But she'll slice some meat off and then she'll save that. She just bury it in the snow drift around there.

That with all the other white fish that they had frozen at home... she just, they just stick it inside a snow drift so it wouldn't get spoilt. (AT - Deg Xiq'i?) Now how far we were you said? OK.

Yitots'i,

Then,

vichingadh itlvatr nalyagh yił vitux iy.

muskrat is boiled with potatoes mixed in.

Yił vatr, deg yił vatr xiyił {lughi}

Boil together, here boil together in it.

"Ngo dhivatr iy," ne.

"Well, it's cooked," she said.

Niggiy ineqonh yitots'i viq'idz galnon q'idz.

What is in the pot (she put) on the table.

"Ngo, gitr'itoheł," ne.

"Well, we will eat," she says.

"Yuxudz gil,

"Everyone go ahead,

yuxlo' tonuxlax," dina iłne.

wash your hands," she tells us.

Dinalo' yitots'i tontr'athdlo.

Our hands then, we wash them.

"Ngo yuxlo' getiy ggusr yan'," dina iłne.

"Well your hands are all dirty," she tells us.

Go ts'i yixi

Around there

tr'ididltth'e ts'i {dinatl'o giq... dinatl'o giq... ah}

we sit

dinatl'og dinatl'o iq'oyh.

our dishes she hands to us.

Gitr'ighiłno' yitots'in'.

We ate it then.

Gan neg!

How nice!

Viggin dhiggingh xiy

That half-dried

vichingadh.

muskrat.

"Ntuxda',

"After a while,

sits'e itene," siłne sito'.

you'll help me," my father tells me.

"Vichingadh dhith,

"Muskrat skins,

gho q'utr'itidineyh," siłne.

we will work on them," he says to me.

"Yuxudz yitots'i,

"Everyone then,

gitr'ighiłno xitl'ogh,

after we have eaten,

ngi'egh gho q'utr'idineyh.

outside we'll work on them.

Viye giditey yet

On the stretchers

ngo xełedz yidegginh iy," yiłne.

they are all well dried," he says.

Viye giditey yitots'i

From the stretchers then

yughi tr'i'ilayh.

we take them off.

"Xiday, a,

"Where is, ah,

xiday git'on' dhith," siłne.

where is the gunny sack?" he asks me.

"Vichingadh dhith,

"The muskrat skins,

viye dixitl'al," siłne.

we'll pack them inside it," he says.

Yixi yitot'si viq'on xigiyax.

Around there, I'm hunting for it.

Git'on' dhith oqo xinitl'anh.

The gunny sack, I'm looking for it.

Xidigał giłiq voxo,

Finally one for him,

voxo ggaginek.

I found it for him.

"Gogide," vidisne.

"Right here," I tell him.

Yiye gigheloy yitots'i.

In it he put them then.

{gganh}] Diydiniłvinh.

He just filled it up.

Vichingadh dhith axa diyidiniłvinh

(With) muskrat skins he filled up

git'on' dhith.

the sack.

Getiy viye gilongh ts'in'.

In it (there was) really lots.

"Agide," ne.

"So there," he says.

"Niyiq yixodhith yet

"Inside the tent

ngdixi xodixatlteł," yiłne.

up there (on the ridge pole) I'll hang it," he says.

Yuxudz xiyeloq yitots'in'.

All that he did then.

Siyił tet'el," ne, siłne.

You'll go with me," he says, he tells me.

"Ęhę'ę," vidisne.

"No," I tell him.

"Ngo getiy te nichux," vidisne.

"Well, it's too much water," I tell him.

"Ngideyan' tek'o' ngith yidhe'atth," vidisne.

"Only you (have) long water boots to wear," I tell him.

Yixi yitots'i viniq'it ideyan' tadhiyo.

Around the lake alone he went.

Nedho ts'i xighi'o xiyił ni'idiyo.

It was a long time until he returned.

"Getiy te ngichux nginixi

"Really lots of water back there

viniq'it," dina iłne.

in the lakes," he tells us.

"Yuxudz yitots'i

"All of them,

dangan xał naghitlzrek," ne.

the traps, I picked themup," he says.

Ngi'egh yitots'i

Outside then

xoyidelo, dangan xał.

he hangs them up, the traps.

"Nuq xodelodi, nontatlał," yiłne ts'in'.

"Back there where they were hanging, I'll put them," he says.

"Ngo, valgats che gho q'utr'ididineyh," dina iłne.

"Well, the boat, we'll be working at it again," he tells us. [This rowboat was made of lumber which he ripped himself with a big vertical saw. He was down below the log and his son was up on the platform above as they sawed, each holding one end of the saw.]

"Valgats che ntri'totth'ith," ne.

"The boat now, we'll caulk it," he says.

Yitotl'ogh {xin}

Afterwards,

yitots'i dzax qho q'utithinek.

then the (spruce) pitch, he started working at it.

"Ngo, tthaq, enatlghenh yin iy," iłne.

"Well, the fire, I'll melt it on it," he says.

Ni'itatlghex, or something, like that?

I'll melt it... [Edna is confirming the word with Alta.]

Tthaq, nigine'onh.

The fire, he puts it (a can) on top.

"Iyet ntatlghex," yiłne.

"In it (the can) I'm going to melt it (the pitch)," he says.

"Totl'ogh

"After that

valgats vaxa enatltlux," xiyiłne.

the boat, I'll paint it with it," he says.

Nedho ts'i naghałch'ux.

Long time it was boiling.

Ngiyił niginditex yinił'anh.

He keeps stirring and checking it.

"Agide xełedz idiyoq," dina iłne.

"OK it got just right," he tells us.

Vits'e tr'i'ene yitots'in'.

We are helping him then.

Noghiniy yiq'i axa

With a rabbit's foot

valgats

the boat

yaxa niłtlux.

with it he's painting.

"Ngo, venhdida xełedz didhigginghda',

"Well, tomorrow when it's dried real good,

ane' viyen tr'itoqa," dina iłne.

upriver in it we'll paddle," she tells us.

"Ti'isr,

"Dipnet,

axa tr'ixenotox," ne ts'in'.

with it we'll try," she says.

"Gila nuxdret," dina iłne ts'i tr'inathdriy yitots'in'.

"Now go to bed," she tells us (and) we all go to bed.

Mama go with us but we left my dad at home. So we walk up there and when we got up there we ah, we try from the shore. Mama make big fire for us around there and we're standing around the fire talking and she tell us not to go anywhere. To stay right by the fire she tell us.

And all of a sudden we just hear lots of people, all of a sudden. Just like lots of people coming up. We just hear them laughing and talking. And I tell my Mom, "Do you hear that?" I tell her. " I hear it," she say.

"Don't go back there," she said. She say that place is haunted. They always hear that all the time. "That's why you're not supposed to go back in the woods," she tell us. "Right here," she said, "used to be old village way back there."

And my Dad tell us not to go around there. Just to go to that point and come back. Here we want to walk around the woods but my Mom held us back that time. Good thing she did too, just, it's haunted. We just hear lots of people talking. I just remember it clearly. OK.

"Vehndidi yitots'i,

"Tomorrow then,

tr'eqay {q'utr'odin...}

spring camp

q'utr'idineyh xotl'ogh,

after we work,

ngine' che

up there again

ti'isr axa tr'ixenitox," {siłn} dina iłne, dinangonh.

with dipnet we'll try," she tells us, our mother.

Yixi yitots'i

Around there then

viyił tr'itathdatl.

with her we start to walk there.

Xingo sito' tr'eqay dhido.

Meanwhile my father stayed at the camp.

Ti'isr, ghiteł, singonh.

The dipnet, she carried it, my mother.

Dina nitl'ogh ghihoł.

Ahead of us, she's walking.

Xingo vitl'oy tr'odił.

Meanwhile behind her, we're walking.

Anet yitots'i, tr'ixadidhi'o,

Up there then, (at) that point,

gon at, ti'isr tr'itiłteł.

there, the dipnet, we put it in.

"Agot xizro noghileł," dina iłne.

"Here (there is) an eddy," she tells us

Ti'isr, te ghetonh xiy.

The dipnet, she put it into the water.

Oh, tth'e.

Oh, not yet.

Tth'e ti'isr te iłt'e, ngonh,

Before (putting) the dipnet in the water, our mother,

dina oxo xidiłq'unh.

for us she makes a fire.

"Ago xididhiq'undi xeyan' duxliyo," dina iłne.

"Right here by the fire pit you stay only," she tells us.

Xididhiq'undi xughino tr'idenitlyo, xingo,

The fire pit, around it here and there we're standing, meanwhile,

{ate} "Atthet ti'isr titasteł," dina iłne.

"Down there, the dipnet, I'll put it in the water," she tells us.

"Ago xiyan' nduxliyo qunedz," dina iłne.

"Right here only stay around the fire," she tells us.

Yuxudz ditr'i't'anh ts'i tr'inił'anh yitongo {ding} dinangonh.

We're doing that while watching our mother.

Ti'isr itltonh.

The dipnet, she's holding it.

Uxiyił, ngidodz,

Suddenly, down there,

{tr'ine} edodz tr'inedałdi,

from where we came up,

dina longhin,

lots of people,

ngidodz ghidił.

up there they are walking.

Nigixidluq ts'i xiyił, xinaxidilighusr ts'i xiyił.

It's like they are laughing together and talking together.

Uxiyił,

Suddenly,

dinangonh dina ts'an genthitonh.

our mother turned to us.

"Xiduxtth'on, he'?" dina iłne.

"Did you hear that?" she asks us.

"E," vazrne.

"Yes," we said.

"Ago deg getiy nixinh' dit'anh dina at," dina iłne.

"Around here it's really haunted," she tells us.

"Dixo'in 'n a,

"So that's why,

xeyiq q'udhuxdidal {yix}

in the woods, don't walk around.

Yuxidisne," dina iłne.

I'm telling you this," she tells us.

Niłitr'inli'anh, "Diva sre' ngidodz {tr'i} dughidił," tr'ine.

Looking at each other, "Who is that coming up?" we say.

{Ding...} Singonh, "Agide,

My mother, "OK,

xo'in ngine' xiq'i dhuxdidal, yuxidisne," dina iłne.

this is why, back there, don't walk, I'm telling you this," she tells us.

And my father said there was big village there, that's why it's haunted. Sometimes it's like that he said. You hear people, whole bunch of people laughing. There's spirits back there, he said. Because it was village there long time ago. I guess sometimes they come close to us but we can't see them, he said.

(AJ) They don't have a spirit camp at Holy Cross any more, yeah. (AT) I don't know how they do it. (AJ) I asked Ellen that when I was out there and she said the last time they had Spirit Camp she was there and she said one evening while they were there a lot of young people there too, and she said one, some girls were playing around outdoors, playing tag, running around between the tents. They had a lot of tents. And a lot of them were just standing around on the bank looking at the river. And pretty soon the girls came running in and said that... Oh, a girl screamed from back there behind the tent and she came out and they asked what's wrong and she said someone grab her in hair and then pulled it. She had long hair, kind of long. She'd kind of to the side. Somebody just grabbed her by the hair and pulled it and she screamed. She said she didn't notice it wasn't one with them and they said they didn't do it. They weren't around there. Ellen said she told them well don't run around. It's getting dark. Don't run around no more. Sit quiet and settle down quiet. Be quiet. And she said ah... Change the name.. Stop calling it Spirit Camp. Change the name. She said she doesn't know if they changed it or not because she said they don't have it any more. I never heard of them not having it any more.

(ED) I think where they had that camp it burned around there too, forest fire around there. (AJ) Lately? (ED) Yeah this, yeah. (AJ) This spring? (ED) This summer. (AJ) Oh, this summer. We heard of big forest fire down there. (ED) Yeah, it was big fire. From here I think you can see that forest fire going on, across that way. Somewhere around August, July, August. Yeah. At night they could see the fire from this hill up here. You could see it across there.

"Over there, cottonwood, chop it down for me," he tells us, my father.

"Srighitidlingith siduxlax," dina iłne.

"Just the right length do it for me," he tells us.

"Ngo, valgats t'ox,

"So, the boat, under it

ntolyał," dina iłne.

put it," he tells us.

Xingo ntl'anh.

Meanwhile I'm looking at him.

Ndadz axa sre', inisdhinh.

How (to do it), I'm thinking.

"Ntuxda' yuxnołda xasneł," dina iłne.

"After a while I'll tell you," he tells us.

Ixidiniy yitots'i,

We hurry then,

t'ighith, tr'identłqoyh, soda yił.

the cottonwood, we're chopping it down, (me) with my older sister.

"Gogidet. Tr'identłqoyh xiy," vidisne.

"Here it is. We chopped it down," I tell him.

"Srighilingith ts'i, che,

"Just the right lengths, again,

uxłqoyh xiy," dina iłne.

chop it," he tells us.

"Ago nonduxliyayh yitots'in'," dina iłne.

"Right there put them then," he tells us.

"Ngo, valgats viq'idz ntiditeł.

"So, the boat, on top of them (the logs), we put it.

Valgats yitots'i, t'ox,

The boat then, underneath it,

ngitthing

down there (down the bank)

valgats

the boat

t'oxin nuxla," dina iłne.

under it (the boat) put them (the logs)," he tells us.

"Dadz," dina iłne.

"This way," he tells us.

Ngitthing yitots'i, valgats tr'oggisr.

Down there then, the boat, we are dragging it. [They are rolling the boat along the logs.]

Xingo iłt'e,

Meanwhile still,

that a cotton, ah, t'ighith,

cottonwood (logs),

"Che ni'uxłche ts'i ingthi.

"Each one, (in the back) you pick up and place it ahead.

Valgats loy nduxla ts'i, xidigał {xidi...}

In front of the boat put them, finally

vith q'idz ntiliqił," dina iłne.

on top of the (river) bank it will slide along," he tells us.

Xidigał yuxudz ditr'eloq.

Finally we did it.

Xełedz yitots'i {tighul...}

Nicely then

engthi ts'i {tighil... ah...}

down there...

{tr'aldi... how they say?}

-

Xełedz yitots'i valgats tighiliqit,

Nicely then the boat slid into the water,

{d...} diggiy t'ighith q'idz.

those cottonwood (logs), on top of them.

Ts'id dina oxo {yi...}

The blankets for us

{ye'} yi'eghonh xiy,

that she made,

singonh.

my mother.

Dek ts'id.

Duck blankets. ['Duck' is a mattress ticking fabric.]

"Gitth'ithgi viq'id tithiqoy ts'i," dina iłne.

"Feathers wouldn't poke through it," she tells us.

(AJ) Mhm, yeah

Yeah, the name of the cloth is deck. They used to call it that. My mother made feather blanket for us with it. So the feathers (AJ) feathers don't poke through. (ED) Yeah. (AT) 'Deck' is the ticking? (AJ) Ticking. (ED) Yeah.